Lawton was the Republican candidate who, in October 2016, sent out a mailer endorsing Mattiello, a Democrat, over the man who beat her in a contest that year for the GOP nomination to run for the speaker's home-district seat in Cranston.

As Lawton had only $43.34 in her campaign account at the time, state GOP Chairman Brandon Bell filed a complaint with the Board of Elections questioning how she could have paid for the $2,150 mailer. That led to a two-year, stop-and-start investigation by the elections board, the initiation of contempt proceedings, and now, to the doorstep of the state's attorney general — and a second look on the now-closed case against Mattiello.

On Thursday, the elections board had an evidence packet hand-delivered to Attorney General Peter Kilmartin's office. The board sought a determination on whether Britt's behind-the-scenes actions in 2016 constituted "illegal coordination" between Britt, acting on behalf of the Mattiello campaign, and the people paying for the now infamous mailer. Lawton — who lost the primary to GOP activist Steven Frias — explained "why I'm voting for Nick" in that mailer.

The nub: Rhode Island law limits the amount any individual can give to a candidate to $1,000 a year. Donors can spend more under a law allowing “independent expenditures,” but they are prohibited from coordinating those expenditures with the candidate who benefits from the spending.

Stephen Erickson, the vice chairman of the state elections board, told The Providence Journal on Friday: "My hope is that the attorney general will review these documents and determine whether or not the apparent coordination of the various elements of the mailer, by various parties through him, constituted a violation of the campaign finance law.

"My sense is that the board was satisfied that these exchanges demonstrated that Mr. Britt was the hub of the wheel that resulted in the financing, preparation and sending of the mailer in question which would be, according to our analysis, a violation of the campaign finance law."

Britt, who signed a non-disclosure agreement according to an earlier filing by his attorney, did not respond to a Journal inquiry on Friday.

Mattiello campaign spokeswoman Patti Doyle said, as she has before: "Speaker Mattiello was exonerated by the Board of Elections in April because he had no knowledge of the mailer and had nothing to do with it."

Bell’s complaint alleged that Lawton met with Britt and that shortly thereafter, two Mattiello supporters, Teresa Graham and Victor Pichette, each made donations to Lawton’s campaign so that it would appear that she alone had arranged for the mailing. The board issued subpoenas to all of them seeking any communications relating to Lawton, the mailer and the funding for it.

In April, the elections board announced it had found no evidence that Mattiello knew what was happening behind the scenes in his campaign. But the board did not let Britt — who most recently was on Gov. Gina Raimondo's reelection campaign payroll — off the hook so easily.

Included in the evidence packet that the board provided to The Journal on Friday, in response to a records request, was an Aug. 14, 2016, text from "Teresa" to "Jeff" and his partner, Daniel Calhoun, who is still listed as a $60,891-a-year legislative employee on the state's transparency portal.

"Dear Jeff & Daniel,'' it begins, "Thank you for your generosity. It was quite unexpected but had we known, Ed would have ordered another lobster.. Thank you...Hope to see you soon!! Best regards, Teresa."

Britt responds, "Anytime and twice on Sunday...Ed is the best."

The next thread in the package is dated Oct. 18, 2016. It reads: "Hello there Jeff, It's Tresa [sic], Ed Cotugno's wife. Eddie wanted me to ask you what name do you want on check?"

His response: "Freinds [sic] of shawna lawton."

Her response: "Ok, no worries"

The next document in the package is a copy of a $1,000 Santander bank check that Graham wrote to "friends of Shawna Lawton" on that same day.

The texts — including other texts between Britt and Lawton — were provided to the elections board by Graham's attorney, John Verdecchia, in response to a subpoena.

As to what happens next, the attorney general's spokeswoman Amy Kempe said: "We have not had a chance to review it."

Steven Frias, the Republican who came within 85 votes of beating Mattiello in 2016 — and is challenging him again this year — said: "These text messages between Jeff Britt and Shawna Lawton, and between Britt and the wife of Mattiello’s mail ballot operative, clearly show that the Mattiello campaign engaged in illegal coordination. In fact, one text exchange between Britt and Lawton demonstrated a complete disregard for breaking the law.

"When Lawton expressed a concern about paying “fines” for her mailer, Britt responded “don’t sweat it … your mailer will get a bunch more” publicity.

"If Mattiello won’t apologize," Frias said, "maybe he can release Britt from the non-disclosure agreement he signed with his campaign. Isn’t time that the truth and nothing but the truth came out about the illegal activities of the Mattiello campaign in 2016?"

In an affidavit made public last month, Britt said he first met Lawton through a direct message on Twitter. She "expressed her dissatisfaction with Mr. Mattiello’s challenger and the Rhode Island Republican Party establishment." She later "indicated that she wanted to send out her own mailer explaining her reasons for supporting and endorsing Mr. Mattiello.''

"At no time did I know this would be anything that would have run afoul of campaign finance rules,'' he wrote.

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